(175f) Developing a Photonics Platform for Determining Transport Rates of Proton Antiporters

Proton motive force is an important form of energy that drives many cellular processes including ATP production, membrane transport, as well as drug and antibiotic efflux. Therefore, many clinical targets are proton antiporters. The purpose of this work is to develop a photonics platform for determining molecular transport rates of proton antiporters. One such transporter complex, AcrAB can be found in E. coli and is a multidrug efflux pump that can contribute to antibiotic resistance. Using stopped flow fluorescence spectroscopy to track initial fluorescence change and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to determine protein concentration and directionality, we have developed a methodology for quantitatively determining rates of both direct and indirect transport through the AcrAB complex. With the methodology developed, this platform can be used in the future to screen for inhibitors and be translated to other proton antiporters.